The Northern Ireland Executor Blueprint is built from primary Northern Ireland sources — not adapted from England & Wales guides. Every statutory figure, form reference, and procedural step is traced to a named NI primary source and verified against the version current at the time of writing. Here is exactly how it was built and what it is not.
The Blueprint is written by Brandon Wade Smit and Bridgett Ann Smit — the husband and wife team behind ClearDossier. They have no legal or compliance background, and that is intentional.
ClearDossier was founded from a specific frustration: when facing a high-stakes, time-sensitive problem — a suspended business, a contested claim, an estate to administer — you can never see the whole picture mapped out in one place with one clear solution path. Advice is fragmented across forums, generic solicitor websites that are commercially motivated, and England & Wales guides that do not apply in NI.
The Blueprint is their attempt to do for NI estate administration what they could not find when they needed it: the complete picture, in one place, built from primary sources, with a clear path.
Every claim in the Blueprint is traceable to a named Northern Ireland primary source. These are listed in Section 14 of the Blueprint.
Intestacy rules, statutory legacy figures (£250k / £450k), and succession order for NI estates.
Current NI court fees: £326 application, £81 personal supplement, £17 per sealed copy.
IHT thresholds (NRB £325k, RNRB £175k), IHT400 vs excepted-estate route, interest clock.
£17,200 Bereavement Award for qualifying dependants.
Family provision claims, 6-month limitation window from the date the grant issues.
Procedure for non-contentious probate applications at ProbateNI.
Official ProbateNI application forms for testate and intestate estates.
Procedure for advertising for creditors under section 27, Trustee Act 1925 (NI application).
Statutory figures (£326 / £81 / £17 fees, £250k / £450k legacies, £17,200 Bereavement Award, NRB £325k, RNRB £175k) are cited directly from the relevant NI statute or HMRC guidance. No figure is presented without a named source.
The Blueprint was built with an explicit check: every procedural step and figure was tested against NI-specific authority, not assumed to match England & Wales. PA1A/PA1P, the E&W £322,000 legacy figure, and Council Tax (vs LPS Rates in NI) are examples of E&W content explicitly excluded.
The Blueprint carries a verification date of 2026-Q2. Section 14 lists every primary source so you can check whether a specific figure or rule has changed since publication. You are not asked to trust a number without being able to verify it yourself.
A regulator-grade compliance review was conducted against the shipping draft before publication. The consumer-facing version of this review — the features summary — is the foundation of the Blueprint's safety claims.
The Blueprint is informational and educational only. It is not legal, tax, or financial advice, and it does not replace a qualified NI solicitor for complex or contested matters.
It is not adapted or rebranded from an E&W guide. The jurisdiction difference is not a footnote — it is the reason the Blueprint exists.
Insolvent estates, contested wills, foreign assets, business interests, and complex IHT cases are routed to a solicitor. The Blueprint is explicit about its own scope.
ClearDossier is a research and publishing business. It does not provide legal representation, and it does not have a client relationship with readers.
The closing principle: This product is designed to be safe for real-world consumer use in Northern Ireland when used as intended: as a structured educational guide, not a substitute for professional advice in complex or contested cases.
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